Hello everyone!

[ButcherBoy5375]

My name is Dan and im new to this forum as well as new to owning an above ground pool. On a recent trip to Costco for a couple small things , the wife and I noticed they had what looked to be a nice above ground pool for sale. It is a 16 x 9 x 48 Bestway brand pool that comes with a sand filter pump that has a flow rate of 2500 gallons per hour as well as all the accessories to care for the pool. After discovering this forum, we decided that we would like to have a saltwater system in this pool. I've done some reading here and there on this forum and I realized that the saltwater will rust the frame faster than usual. We are actually okay with that. After some discussion we decided that this will be a trial pool to decide if we really enjoy having a pool and enjoy maintaining it as well. So after three or four years we'll make a judgement decision and either buy a new larger pool or be done with it all together.
So we bought the pool! Upon returning home with our new treasurer I quickly went to Amazon and found the Intex crystal clear salt water generator for pools up to 15,000 gallons with copper ionization for $108 and change so I purchase that. Intex Krystal Clear Saltwater System with Copper Ionization Amazon.com : Intex Krystal Clear Saltwater System with Copper Ionization : Swimming Pool Chlorine Alternatives : Patio, Lawn Garden

Now fast-forward about a week or so, I've received my new salt water generator, I've leveled the ground with about four thousand pounds of sand, assemble the pool, filled it up, and it turned out to be level within a half an inch all the way around! That was no small task. from the literature that comes with the pool I know that my pool contains about 3,800 gallons of water. According to the literature with a saltwater generator, I've determined that amount of water requires between 80 and 90 pounds of salt. I've added about 90 pounds. So that's about where I am. I ran the pump overnight to dissolve the salt a little better and now I've come to a screeching halt. I have no clue what to do next to get this thing started. Are there any other chemicals I need before I can get this thing running? I have not turned on the saltwater generator yet. I have purchased a basic testing kit, but I have not opened it or used it. I bought this one from Home Depot.
5-Way Pool and Spa Test Kit

5-Way Pool and Spa Test Kit-62364 - The Home Depot

Will that work for a saltwater pool? I noticed the saltwater generator came with some test strips but from what I read test strips can be quite unreliable.
Anyways so that's where I'm at sorry about the long drawn out post but I really don't know where to start. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it and I look forward to following along and being a part of the community here on TFP!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[mgmoore7]

To do this right, you will need a good test kit. One of the 2 kits on this site will work. TFTestKits. Taylor or TF-100.

Right off the bat, you should be adding chlorine to get it up as the salt system may take too long to get it up to the right levels. You can use that test kit that you have to get started but it won't be enough. Use Pool Math link at the top to get the base chlorine (just straight bleach from the store) started and know how to adjust your PH.

Would recommend that you get started reading Pool School and any thread like yours. You will see a pattern. Need to test, keep PH and Free Chlorine above the recommending levels.

 

[cowboycasey]

Welcome to TFP

We use poolmath to figure out all the math for us ^^^up there^^^

That test kit will work for a seasonal pool but if you are really looking to get into "pooling" check out the link below for test kits, we love and use the TF100 as a great test kit..

what you need,
At walmart

4 gallons of bleach/liquid chlorine for the pool isle 10% (names pool shock)
1 4 pound HTH pool stabilizer 100% cyanuric acid (CYA)

lowes
20% Baume muriatic acid from the outdoor pool section, 2 gallon box

put 1 pound CYA in a sock and float in pool until dissolved, you can knead it to dissolve it.. this gets your CYA to 40
put 3 cups bleach in the pool to bring to 5 free chlorine

now make sure pool is clear, nothing green, if good and clear

add 1 more pound of CYA in the sock and dissolve

turn on SWG

keep Free Chlorine at 5, test every night at the same time, if below 5 run the pump and SWG longer if above run pump less..

Check out pool school right below

Let us know if you have any questions

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

Normally I;d direct you to some articles in Pool School and let you figure it out, but if that pool is full of water in this heat, you want to get it swimmable yesterday and not have it go green on you before the weekend is over.

To that end... you need to do three things right away.
One: Go grab the bleach from the laundry area. If it doesn't say scented or splashless or anything else but maybe 'concentrated', add 2 cups to the pool with the pump running.
Two: break open that test kit and test pH, and Total Alkalinity. Post those results.
Three: make a dash for Lowes or Home Depot and pick up some Stabilizer aka Cyanuric Acid and some Muriatic Acid and maybe another jug of bleach.

By the time you get back, someone will have run poolmath for you to tell you how much of each of those to add.

Then we can worry about educating you so you'll understand each thing we told you to do and can do it yourself in the future. There's lots to do initially, including disconnecting the copper bars in that SWG. But first, lets get the FC and pH right so people can get in and so it doesn't go green on you.

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

So im a little confused. Cowboycasey recommended I buy 4 gallons of bleach, while richard320 suggested i pour in 2 cups. Thats a huge difference. Is that just so i have an inventory on hand? Thanks again guys. I get off work in 30 minutes and ill be going directly to the stores to buy what i need.

 

[Richard320]

So im a little confused. Cowboycasey recommended I buy 4 gallons of bleach, while richard320 suggested i pour in 2 cups. Thats a huge difference. Is that just so i have an inventory on hand? Thanks again guys. I get off work in 30 minutes and ill be going directly to the stores to buy what i need.

Yes. SInce you have a SWG, you will only need a few days' supply of bleach, but it's good to have some standing by in the event of a big crowd or a SWG failure. I suspect he read too fast and didn't see the pool is only 3800 gallons.

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

The only muriatic acid they have at my local home depot is 14.5% hydrogen chloride. Will that do? It comes in a 2 gallon box.

 

[cowboycasey]

Sorry, that is a backup supply, I always keep 4 gallons around, you can do 2 gallons instead if you want... whenever your FC level drops and you need to bring FC up fast use the bleach instead of trying to run the SWG 24/7 to bring it up

 

[Richard320]

The only muriatic acid they have at my local home depot is 14.5% hydrogen chloride. Will that do? It comes in a 2 gallon box.

Yes, but adjust poolmath to that strength.

 

[wjr75]

Are you sure that pool is only 3800 gallons? Doesn't sound right to me.

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

Are you sure that pool is only 3800 gallons? Doesn't sound right to me.

yes. acording to the manufactuer it is 3,913 gallons

- - - Updated - - -

Welcome!

Normally I;d direct you to some articles in Pool School and let you figure it out, but if that pool is full of water in this heat, you want to get it swimmable yesterday and not have it go green on you before the weekend is over.

To that end... you need to do three things right away.
One: Go grab the bleach from the laundry area. If it doesn't say scented or splashless or anything else but maybe 'concentrated', add 2 cups to the pool with the pump running.
Two: break open that test kit and test pH, and Total Alkalinity. Post those results.
Three: make a dash for Lowes or Home Depot and pick up some Stabilizer aka Cyanuric Acid and some Muriatic Acid and maybe another jug of bleach.

By the time you get back, someone will have run poolmath for you to tell you how much of each of those to add.

Then we can worry about educating you so you'll understand each thing we told you to do and can do it yourself in the future. There's lots to do initially, including disconnecting the copper bars in that SWG. But first, lets get the FC and pH right so people can get in and so it doesn't go green on you.

ok so i used the test kit and ph was 7.6 and the TA was 20 from best i could tell. that one was a little tricky.

 

[Richard320]

yes. acording to the manufactuer it is 3,913 gallons

- - - Updated - - -


ok so i used the test kit and ph was 7.6 and the TA was 20 from best i could tell. that one was a little tricky.

7.6 pH is fine. Don't need acid yet. And that TA doesn't sound right. Typo, maybe? Or multiplication error?

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

7.6 pH is fine. Don't need acid yet. And that TA doesn't sound right. Typo, maybe? Or multiplication error?

Hey richard. I just realised you said to put the bleach in first before i tested. I did not. Those results are from just the plain water with the salt added. I poured 3 cups of bleach and ran the pump overnight. I'll go out and test right now. Sorry man. This is all very new to me and i appreciate your help and patience. Ill get it right.

 

[Richard320]

Hey richard. I just realised you said to put the bleach in first before i tested. I did not. Those results are from just the plain water with the salt added. I poured 3 cups of bleach and ran the pump overnight. I'll go out and test right now. Sorry man. This is all very new to me and i appreciate your help and patience. Ill get it right.

The small amount of bleach you added wouldn't have messed up the pH or TA results at all. No problem either way before or after bleach. I'd just expect TA to be more like 120 or 200 than 20.

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

The small amount of bleach you added wouldn't have messed up the pH or TA results at all. No problem either way before or after bleach. I'd just expect TA to be more like 120 or 200 than 20.

wow! you are good sir! PH stayed the same and TA took 20 drops to go from purpleish to clear. i was not seeing any results after 2 or 3 drops so i stopped last night. but after seeing your expected results, i kept adding till i saw something. so 20 drops x 10 is 200 for TA right?

 

[Richard320]

wow! you are good sir! PH stayed the same and TA took 20 drops to go from purpleish to clear. i was not seeing any results after 2 or 3 drops so i stopped last night. but after seeing your expected results, i kept adding till i saw something. so 20 drops x 10 is 200 for TA right?

I'm not sure. I've never used that brand of tester.

Have you added the CYA via the sock yet? poolmath says 2.5 lbs which will be 5 measuring cups. And have you checked the FC today? People are going to want to use it, if they haven't already.

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

that pool math calculator made my head spin. that may have had something to do with the couple of beers i had last night. no cya yet. ill do that next. so thats 5 1cup portions?

 

[Richard320]

that pool math calculator made my head spin. that may have had something to do with the couple of beers i had last night. no cya yet. ill do that next. so thats 5 1cup portions?

Yep. In a sock or nylon. Hang it in front of the return so it gets pummeled by the water flow. Something like this.

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

cool. working on it. i have a scale so ill measure by weight.

 

[ButcherBoy5375]

Yep. In a sock or nylon. Hang it in front of the return so it gets pummeled by the water flow. Something like this.

Sorry Richard, had a family emergency and had to come out to longbeach. I did manage to get that sock in the water before we left though.